Fish-Dragon Banquet

Inside the Palace of Light, the atmosphere was grim. Last time, there were only a dozen or so Purple Mansions here. Now, over thirty Purple Mansions were gathered, accounting for more than half of the Palace of Light's total strength. Every one of them wore an unsightly expression. Third Palace Master Zi Ran spoke, her tone devoid of its past composure. "Starting immediately, all Purple Mansions outside must return to headquarters." Earlier, when the Blood-Robed Sword God displayed the power of a late Purple Mansion, Zi Ran had not taken it to heart. A cultivator of the Purple Mansion realm had already comprehended the nature of spiritual energy and awakened an origin divine ability. Killing one was supposed to be exceptionally difficult. When the Blood-Robed Sword God killed five Purple Mansions last time, they had assumed he must have exhausted his combat strength and was recuperating somewhere. Yet six more of the Palace of Light's Purple Mansions had fallen in succession. Events had far exceeded their expectations. "Until the clash with the Blood-Robed Sword God concludes, every Purple Mansion is to remain at headquarters," Third Palace Master Zi Ran commanded. The remaining Purple Mansions exchanged uneasy glances. "This Blood-Robed Sword God... how should we deal with him?" one Purple Mansion asked cautiously. "The Grand Palace Master is currently negotiating with the Divine Flower Society's Eastern Lands Chapter Leader. Until the outcome is determined, we need only hole up at headquarters," Zi Ran said, a trace of helplessness creeping into her voice. As the righteous leader of Cuiyun Continent, when had the Palace of Light ever suffered such humiliation? Yet that Blood-Robed Sword God was no ordinary late Purple Mansion; slaughtering Purple Mansions came easily to him. "If... we make peace, it will be a monstrous disgrace to our Palace of Light!" another Purple Mansion cultivator said, already anticipating the outcome. After all, the Blood-Robed Sword God wielded profound origin divine abilities and stayed constantly on the move. The Palace of Light had no easy way to pin him down. "Hmph! If he dares come to our headquarters, we'll ensure he leaves without a burial place!" an elder snapped. Accustomed to acting with impunity, yielding for the first time was hard to swallow. "The Blood-Robed Sword God isn't an idiot. Why would he come to our headquarters to die?" another Purple Mansion elder remarked. "Anyone who cultivates to that realm is shrewder than a fox. Sigh, it seems this time our Palace of Light can only swallow its grievances." "He got off easy!" the woman in yellow spat. Within the Palace of Light, the meeting quietly came to an end. From this day forward, no one in the Palace of Light mentioned besieging the Blood-Robed Sword God, nor did anyone dare bring up his name. All the elders and deacons simply waited for the Grand Palace Master to return. As for the Blood-Robed Sword God, who was currently prancing about on the Divine Flower Society forum, they had no choice but to ignore him. *** Outside the cave abode. A wisp of melancholy still lingered between Jiang Ya's brows. During this time, she had made no progress with the Heaven-grade art Old Man Wutian had taught her. She glanced at Qi Yuan and Kang Fulu, then waved a delicate hand. "Are the two of you interested in the Fish-Dragon Banquet?" In her hand was an invitation to the Fish-Dragon Banquet. Anyone who had ever made the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll received an invitation to attend. Kang Fulu's eyes lit up. "Count me in!" At the Fish-Dragon Banquet, there would be a live performance of the Fish-Dragon Golden Core Dance. That was far superior to watching a recorded version. Qi Yuan shook his head. "A friend of mine is arriving in Yunzhong City shortly. I have to go pick him up, and he's going to take me to the banquet, so I won't be going with you two." Jiang Ya gave Qi Yuan a surprised look. Kang Fulu was equally astonished. "Junior Brother, you actually know people here?" "Yeah, met him online." Kang Fulu was baffled by the word "online." Met him on a spiderweb? "Be careful out there, and don't get swindled," Kang Fulu cautioned. As the Eldest Senior Brother of the Divine Light Sect, he had to keep an eye on Qi Yuan. "Yeah, don't worry." Qi Yuan glanced at his Divine Flower Society jade slip. He felt somewhat apprehensive. It was just an offline meetup—why did so much trouble keep popping up? That Rogue Immortal Venerable hadn't replied to his messages for two whole days. Surely nothing bad had happened to him again? *** Aboard a spirit boat. Rogue Immortal Venerable looked at the slant-eyed man, squeezing out a look of concern. "Senior Brother, are you feeling any better?" "Cough, cough... Much better." The slant-eyed man's face was pale, and he looked thoroughly drained. Seeing this, Rogue Immortal Venerable was utterly speechless. This senior brother of his loved making friends. As a figure on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, he counted as an important personage on this modest flying vessel. Yet a few days ago, he had befriended a woman from the Eastern Lands Lesser Heavenly Pride Roll. One thing led to another, and they ended up in bed. If Rogue Immortal Venerable hadn't tracked him down, his senior brother probably would have had his essence drained until he died. The female cultivator from the Lesser Heavenly Pride Roll cultivated a technique that devoured yang to nourish yin, and the slant-eyed man had walked right into the trap. Over the past few days, Rogue Immortal Venerable had been forced to expend his own vitality to replenish his senior brother's depleted body. After all, his senior brother was their sect's hope—the only cultivator from their sect who had made the official Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. "Senior Brother, stay away from those demonesses in the future," Rogue Immortal Venerable urged earnestly. A flash of lingering dread crossed the slant-eyed man's face, yet it was tinged with fond reminiscence. "Who told that demoness... to be so supple? Junior Brother, I've learned my lesson. Your senior brother definitely won't do it again!" Rogue Immortal Venerable did not believe a word of it. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened to his senior brother. What puzzled him even more was that their master never reprimanded him for it either. He decided not to dwell on these vexing matters for now. "We'll be arriving at Yunzhong City shortly. My friend agreed to meet me down below." Rogue Immortal Venerable felt a surge of anticipation at the thought of Origin Celestial Venerable. "Right, bring him along, and we'll head to the Fish-Dragon Banquet together. Sigh, the road to success is full of twists and turns. Thankfully, we still made it in time for the banquet," the slant-eyed man sighed. This journey had truly been one mishap after another. Just then, a voice drifted over with deliberate nonchalance. "To think an esteemed figure from the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll was bewitched by a demoness. Gao Ji'en, once you reach Yunzhong City, don't tell anyone you hail from Leixing Continent." A handsome man with waist-length hair stepped forward, his eyes sharp as blades. Gao Ji'en scowled at him. "Hmph! Luo Cha, you can talk once your rank on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll surpasses mine!" The handsome man was named Luo Cha. His sect and Gao Ji'en's sect had a long-standing feud, and the two had never seen eye to eye. Gao Ji'en's rank on the roll happened to be exactly ten places above Luo Cha's. "When the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll is finalized this time, I will definitely surpass you," Luo Cha declared, indignance written all over his handsome face. At that moment, the spirit boat finally came to a stop. A look of excitement appeared on Luo Cha's face. Turning to Gao Ji'en, he flaunted, "See that? The man in gold up ahead is Lei Chong, ranked eighty-ninth on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll! He's my sworn brother. With his help, my rank will definitely eclipse yours!" Hearing that, Gao Ji'en looked toward Lei Chong with clear apprehension. It was true that he was in the top three hundred of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, but those in the top hundred were the true prodigies. Rogue Immortal Venerable had no interest in Lei Chong. Standing beside Gao Ji'en, he scanned the surroundings in search of someone, but found nothing. Right then, a pleasantly surprised voice rang out. "Are you Rogue Immortal Venerable?" Rogue Immortal Venerable hurried to look. Standing before him was a man clad in a blood-red robe. The man possessed extraordinary, handsome features accompanied by a frosty aura. He stood in the midst of the crowd, yet unless one paid close attention, one might subconsciously overlook his presence. "Origin Celestial Venerable?!" Rogue Immortal Venerable looked at Qi Yuan with delight. "You really came, and you're so handsome!" Gao Ji'en also glanced at Qi Yuan and said, "So you are my junior brother's friend. Quite an impressive talent, indeed." In front of outsiders, Gao Ji'en still made sure to give his junior brother face. "I never rely on my face to get by; I rely on strength." Praised by others, Qi Yuan feigned modesty. Knowing he would attend the Fish-Dragon Banquet today, Qi Yuan had chosen not to go under his original identity. After all, he came from a minor country. What if people looked down on him? Besides, there was a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment present at the banquet. He needed a more impressive alternate persona—such as the Blood-Robed Sword God—to attend the Fish-Dragon Banquet. That way, no one would underestimate him. Hearing Qi Yuan's shameless remark, Rogue Immortal Venerable was certain: this was indeed Origin Celestial Venerable. "Alright, let's hurry over to the Fish-Dragon Banquet. Any later and we'll be late," Gao Ji'en said. For prodigies like them, the Fish-Dragon Banquet was very important; it was a prime opportunity to expand their connections. Just then, a voice sounded near Qi Yuan's ear. "Traveling with someone like him is truly humiliating, Fellow Daoist. On the spirit boat, that Gao Ji'en had his essence sucked dry by a demoness! Hahaha... it was utterly pathetic." After whispering snidely to Qi Yuan, Luo Cha laughed heartily at Gao Ji'en's exasperated face and walked away. Qi Yuan looked at Gao Ji'en and couldn't help remarking, "I didn't expect someone with your ordinary looks to catch a demoness's eye, Fellow Daoist. It seems your talent... really is remarkable." Gao Ji'en was left speechless. Was that praising his talent, or calling him ugly? "Senior Brother, Origin Celestial Venerable is very blunt. Don't take it to heart," Rogue Immortal Venerable said hurriedly. "N-no, let's go." The corner of Gao Ji'en's mouth twitched. The group of three hurried toward the Fish-Dragon Banquet. Along the way, Gao Ji'en's mouth never stopped running, though every word was aimed at badmouthing Luo Cha. This made Qi Yuan reflect on how deeply Gao Ji'en held grudges. Such a person should never be offended. If one did offend him, one had better kill him quickly; otherwise, eighteen generations of one's ancestors might suffer for it. Beside them, Rogue Immortal Venerable kept studying Qi Yuan. Over the past few days, he had been busy helping his senior brother recover his vitality and hadn't gone online, so he had no idea what had happened on the forum. Looking at Qi Yuan, he couldn't help asking, "Origin Celestial Venerable, are you really participating in the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll?" Iceberg Overlord Woman had clearly stated that Origin Celestial Venerable was a heavyweight. But what heavyweight would participate in the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll? "Yeah, of course I am. My senior brother is participating too, and he went to the Fish-Dragon Banquet with someone else this time," Qi Yuan said honestly. Rogue Immortal Venerable wanted to ask, *Aren't you a Purple Mansion?* On second thought, given Origin Celestial Venerable's bizarre train of thought, he wouldn't get a sensible answer anyway. He would probably just spout something like 'Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment' or 'Immortal-grade Golden Core.' Rogue Immortal Venerable decided not to ask, choosing instead to simply treat Qi Yuan as a friend from the Four Emperors of Divine Flower. "What a pity Great Sun Flame Emperor and Iceberg Overlord Woman couldn't make it. Otherwise, riding on Sister Iceberg Overlord Woman's Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment fame, our Four Emperors of Divine Flower would surely have made a splash at the Fish-Dragon Banquet," Qi Yuan lamented. Beneath his blood-red robe, he concealed his slaughterous and sinister aura remarkably well. Rogue Immortal Venerable glanced at Qi Yuan and asked in a low voice, "What about the Blood-Robed Sword God?" Rogue Immortal Venerable only knew that the Blood-Robed Sword God had slaughtered Divine Infants; he had no idea what had happened after the Blood-Robed Sword God arrived in Cuiyun Continent. "Isn't that me?" Qi Yuan pointed at himself. Rogue Immortal Venerable was utterly speechless. He decided to drop the subject altogether. About half an hour later, the trio of Qi Yuan, Rogue Immortal Venerable, and Gao Ji'en finally arrived at the entrance to the Fish-Dragon Banquet. The Fish-Dragon Banquet was held within Yunzhong Court. Yunzhong Court was situated on the three-hundred-li Cloud Mere. The three of them boarded an immortal boat and crossed the three-hundred-li expanse of water, soon catching sight of a magnificent island. Upon the island stood an imposing palace. Painted pleasure boats were moored across the mere, and songs drifted out from them from time to time. Seeing this from the boat, Qi Yuan couldn't help marveling, "As expected of a great city—vast and prosperous." Although he had become the hegemon of Liufeng Realm, he had spent nearly all his time holed up in the City of No Return and hadn't visited other places. Gao Ji'en raised his chin. "Compared to our Leixing Continent's Purple Thunder City, it falls far short. Still, the scenery is rather elegant—suitable for seclusion." Yunzhong City was not considered a bustling metropolis even within Cuiyun Continent, so it naturally could not compare to Purple Thunder City, the most prosperous city in Leixing Continent. Qi Yuan looked at Gao Ji'en with a face full of admiration. "As expected of someone from a major place. Truly worldly." Flattered by the compliment, Gao Ji'en felt rather pleased with himself. This Origin Celestial Venerable was far more agreeable than Luo Cha. Gao Ji'en thought to himself that when he wasn't networking, he should mingle more with people of "lower status" to receive praise, unlike Luo Cha, who constantly attacked him with sharp words. The immortal boat docked, and the three disembarked, heading toward the main hall of Yunzhong Court. Qi Yuan looked left and right, full of curiosity about everything before him. Unfortunately, everyone here was young; there were no old fogies, nor was his white moonlight here. Guided by a maidservant, the three entered the palace. Inside the massive hall, thousands of people had gathered. "Origin Celestial Venerable, let's find a quiet spot to sit for a while," Rogue Immortal Venerable suggested. In the Divine Flower Society group chat, Rogue Immortal Venerable was quite articulate, but in reality, he suffered from social anxiety and disliked interacting with too many people. Gao Ji'en glanced at his junior brother with a resigned smile. "Don't cause any trouble. Your senior brother is going to make some friends." He did not insist on dragging his junior brother along to network, letting him catch up with his friend instead. Qi Yuan sat in a corner. Spotting the fruit on the table, he picked one up casually and ate it. By this point, Rogue Immortal Venerable had loosened up. To him now, Origin Celestial Venerable was no different from himself—both were just little rookies. "Sigh, I wonder when I'll be able to make the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll," Rogue Immortal Venerable sighed, looking out at the prodigies filling the hall. "Isn't that easy?" Qi Yuan said casually after sweeping his gaze across the room. "Oh?" Rogue Immortal Venerable's interest was piqued. "As long as I kill all the prodigies in this room, spots will open up on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll, and you'll get in. Of course, I might not be able to kill that Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, but as for the rest, there aren't enough of them to satisfy my blade," Qi Yuan said domineeringly, earnestly trying to solve Rogue Immortal Venerable's troubles. Hearing this, Rogue Immortal Venerable's expression shifted slightly. "Origin Celestial Venerable, don't say things like that out loud! Use voice transmission! If someone overhears, it'll cause misunderstandings!" Origin Celestial Venerable was just as unhinged in person as he was in the group chat, spouting nonsense at every turn. "A pity they share no grudge with me. Otherwise, I'd really love to kill them all. That way, I probably wouldn't even have to participate in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle to make the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll," Qi Yuan lamented. Taking part in the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle would probably drag on for ten days, half a month, or even years. Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered. Rogue Immortal Venerable dearly wished he could cover Qi Yuan's mouth—or better yet, put some distance between them. He was genuinely terrified that some prodigy would take offense at Origin Celestial Venerable and beat him to a pulp. Half an hour passed. Qi Yuan and Rogue Immortal Venerable had already consumed a good amount of spiritual fruit. Several other people had joined their table, likely individuals who, like them, couldn't be bothered to mingle and had simply found a random spot to sit. "Origin Celestial Venerable, where is your senior brother?" Rogue Immortal Venerable asked casually out of boredom. "He should be inside." Qi Yuan guessed that Kang Fulu had been taken by Jiang Ya to meet some prodigies. Qi Yuan had no interest in such things. How could prodigies ever compare to a white moonlight? "Inside?" Rogue Immortal Venerable looked surprised. "This palace is divided into an inner hall and an outer hall. Only those in the top hundred of the Heavenly Pride Roll are permitted to enter the inner hall." The other cultivators at the table also turned surprised gazes toward Qi Yuan. After all, those in the top hundred of the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll were virtually guaranteed to step into the Purple Mansion realm. Anywhere they went, they were regarded as true geniuses. "Right. The person who brought my senior brother in is in the top hundred." He had heard from his junior sister Jiang Lingsu that her elder sister, Jiang Ya, was ranked seventeenth on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll. At that moment, a woman at the table spoke up. "Why don't you ask your friend to bring us into the inner hall to take a look as well?" The others looked at Qi Yuan with varied expressions. Qi Yuan glanced at them and said nothing. He had no ties to these people. If Rogue Immortal Venerable had suggested it, he might have considered it. Seeing Qi Yuan remain silent, the woman felt somewhat embarrassed, and the gazes of the others took on a mocking edge. They exchanged secret voice transmissions, discussing who knew what. Qi Yuan paid them no mind, continuing to happily devour spiritual fruit with Rogue Immortal Venerable. Suddenly, the cry of a phoenix rang out. From the inner hall, several dozen prodigies emerged. Leading them was Huang Tu. His ranking was not the highest, but hailing from Cuiyun Continent, he was the local host, and the prodigies behind him gave him face. Huang Tu's face was plastered with a broad smile, radiating triumph. Not a trace of grief over his master's recent death could be seen. He strode forward with deep deference. "Fairy Tianhun honors us with her presence! Please, come inside!" A phoenix cry signified the arrival of a figure from the top ten of the Heavenly Pride Roll. Fairy Tianhun was dressed in a tight black combat suit that accentuated her voluptuous curves. Nearly every prodigy in the outer hall turned their eyes toward her. Fairy Tianhun held the eighth rank on the Eastern Lands Heavenly Pride Roll—an existence they could only look up to! Rogue Immortal Venerable looked at Fairy Tianhun with sheer admiration. "Fairy Tianhun achieved an Immortal Grade Foundation Establishment. If her clan had possessed a Yin God, she probably would have achieved a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment as well." Hearing this, Qi Yuan's gaze toward Fairy Tianhun grew solemn. "It seems talent alone isn't enough; one must also have background." The others at the table also stared at Fairy Tianhun with burning eyes. The woman from before sighed. "Now that is a true prodigy, someone capable of determining the future of the Eastern Lands. Given ten thousand years, she might even become someone like the Blood-Robed Sword God." "Shh! This is Cuiyun Continent—don't mention the Blood-Robed Sword God!" someone warned in a hurried whisper. Rogue Immortal Venerable blinked in confusion. How did even these prodigies know about the Blood-Robed Sword God?